Rising Stars and Shifting Rankings: Chess Updates from FIDE Ratings September 2024

From Accused to Accomplished: GM Hans Niemann Breaks into Top-20 Chess Players in the World

In a remarkable turn of events, 21-year-old American chess player Hans Niemann has surged into the top-20 rankings of the world’s best chess players. On the latest FIDE rating list for September 2024, Niemann has left seasoned grandmasters like Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave behind to claim the 16th spot.

Niemann’s meteoric rise came after gaining an impressive 22 rating points in just a single month. His stellar performance in matches against top grandmasters like Giri, Nikita Vitiugov, and Etienne Bacrot saw him lose only one game in the classical portion and score an impressive 11.5/18.

The chess community is now eagerly anticipating Niemann’s upcoming Speed Chess match on Friday, Sept. 6, against world number-one Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen, who has held the top spot since 2011, will face a tough challenge from the young American prodigy.

Meanwhile, in the chess world, there have been other notable movements in the rankings. Fabiano Caruana has closed the gap with Hikaru Nakamura, while Alireza Firouzja and Vincent Keymer have also made significant gains in the top 20.

On the women’s side, Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie have swapped positions, while players like Alina Kashalinskaya, Bibisara Assaubayeva, and Divya Desmukh have made impressive rating gains in recent tournaments.

With the chess world buzzing with excitement over these new developments, all eyes will be on Niemann as he continues his remarkable journey from accused to accomplished in the world of chess.